Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., said Tuesday that $10 million has been included in military appropriations legislation to build a new berth for the medical ship in Norfolk. That's after the Navy recently spent $5 million to upgrade the Comfort's pier in Baltimore, an improvement that could allow the ship to remain at the Port of Baltimore for another 20 years.

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"They're paying $1 million to have the Comfort in the Port of Baltimore, but we've been doing this for 23 years. Why move now?" the congressman said.

Ruppersberger said he was able to include an amendment in a military budget bill Tuesday night that would require a cost-benefit analysis. The bill passed a House committee on Wednesday.

Baltimore is about a 30-minute drive for military doctors, nurses, technicians and other personnel stationed at the Bethesda Naval Hospital who staff the ship. Ruppersberger said he believes Baltimore's proximity to Bethesda has enabled the Comfort to carry out its missions well.

"I fear moving the ship to Norfolk will make that job harder and waste taxpayer dollars in a time when every dollar matters," Ruppersberger said in a statement.

Ruppersberger said he recently tried to block funding for the move in an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011, but the amendment was not approved.

The ship also has treated victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf, and the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti.

The nearly 900-foot vessel can hold hundreds of medical personnel.

The ship has been docked in Baltimore when not actively deployed since 1987.

WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Lowell Melser and photographer Pat Bourque traveled to Haiti on the Comfort to cover the earthquake in January. You can check out their reports, videos and slideshows by using the links above and below.